


About What You Said the Other Day

by orphan_account



Category: World Trigger
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Established Relationship, Romance, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-05 05:57:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16362164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "It says here you like shy girls, rom-coms, and taking long walks on the beach," Izumi pointed out.Satori shifted slightly and looked over the other page of the magazine, purposefully ignoring the section that Izumi was tapping at. He instead skimmed over an interview that included answers from a street survey he'd seen earlier on TV as well. It had covered popular date spots and the opinion of thirty randomly selected citizens on overtly affectionate couples in public. "No one reads that stuff, Senpai. It's fine if it's wrong.""It's fine because it's a stupid tabloid magazine, or it's fine because it's you?" He sounded like he was on the edge of reprimanding him again- Thin ice."'Cos it's me," Satori said, shrugging. His position didn't allow for him to see Izumi's face, but he would have answered either way. "You're the only person who cares about all that, and you already know everything about me. Why bother?"





	1. shake em

**Author's Note:**

> wt is coming back, my tears and happiness are boundless

Izumi had peered out the window a little earlier on his way to the Operation room. It had been dusk as he entered, so he assumed that it was probably completely dark out now. The fact that he was staying so late almost made it seem like he was hiding out. By the dictionary definition of the word, he was, but he liked to call it more of a "break". At least, that's what he had told both his squad and the concerned-looking receptionist that had greeted him as he came in. His sister was home from university, and she had somehow become more intrusive and annoying over the semester she had spent abroad- this, on top of the fact that she was still working on assignments that she needed to complete over the break. When she wasn't poking and prodding him for information about who and what he'd been up to while she was gone, she was asking him to sit still and hear out her pitches for her advanced literature class. Rather than endure all this, Izumi decided he would remind her that he loved her and that he was glad she was home and then resolved to spend every single hour he possibly could at Headquarters to avoid her.  
  
Which was basically just hiding out.  
  
He had announced that he was going out again and that he wouldn't be back until tomorrow by the kitchen while his mother worked on bringing out plates of food to the dinner table. She had insisted, over her shoulder, that he stay and eat something beforehand, that he "spend a bit of time with your family who loves you, for once, please". He had grabbed some of the bowls that were on the counter and followed her to the table, setting them down beside the other plates. His sister wasn't downstairs yet, but she would be soon. After looking over the meal on the table, his mother had left to call her, and Izumi knew his opportunity to leave quietly was dwindling. His father had looked at him from his plate at the table and reminded him, his voice low- "Go to sleep at a reasonable time. You both have school tomorrow."  
  
"What do you mean 'both of us'? She's on break," Izumi said passively. He walked to the door and started to slip his shoes on. His bag was already over his shoulders.  
  
"I meant your boyfriend," Said his father. "Be a _good_ influence this time."  
  
Izumi hesitated. He thought of something clever to say back, but the sound of his sister padding down the stairs made him rush to the door.  "At least _his_ parents think I'm responsible," He called out. Then he slipped out the door and onto the sidewalk.  
  
His phone had been running low on battery as he'd left the house, so he had stopped using it on his way to headquarters. At some point, even though he hadn't touched it while it was in his pocket, it had died. As he reclined on the couch, he thought about getting up to plug his charger into a plain, blue power bank that sat on the table. He hadn't brought his own in his rush to leave, but there was always one on the operation room table, whether it was actually on top of the table or beneath it. He couldn't remember who it had originally belonged to. But just like everything else in the operation room, except for things that were specifically labeled with sticky-notes, it was basically public property. The table was just far enough that he wouldn't be able to reach it without stretching, so, bracing himself, he leaned onto his side and reached out for the cube.  
  
Just as he plugged his charging cord into his phone, the door to the operation room opened.  
  
Satori always looked exhausted after PR activities. Izumi had watched a couple of the interviews on TV, and with all the delicate questions and subterfuge, it made sense that he was so drained. He could answer questions honestly all day if he had to. But it didn't change the fact that it was exhausting to keep pace with the expectations of the press. Izumi had come to recognize the tell-tale slump of his shoulders, and while it was starting to become a familiar sight to him, it was still drastically different from Satori's typical, chipper self. Just a few hours earlier, he had been excitedly chatting about one thing or another to Izumi over the phone on his way to the broadcasting station. But as he leaned against the door frame and surveyed the room , he looked as though he was on the brink of collapse. His cheeks were flushed from being outdoors, and he looked pleasantly tousled from the chill autumn weather. Out there, leaves swept across the sidewalk and the crisp air bit into the skin of the last people left walking home.  
  
"Oh, nice, you're here. And as usual," He remarked wearily, one hand rising from his pocket to punctuate the trinkets and magazines scattered on the floor and piled on the table.  
  
Izumi tried to look as though he were comfortable, and that he'd been comfortable for the past couple of hours. "Like you have room to talk."  
  
"Mm." In the same motion that Satori slipped his shoes off, he shrugged his bag off his shoulder and let it fall to the ground. He staggered forward and collapsed onto the couch, throwing himself over Izumi's lap and burying his face into the soft cushion beneath him. When he next spoke, his voice was muffled to the point that Izumi couldn't hear him. He could tell what he was saying anyway, if only because it was what he always said: "Thanks for waiting for me."  
  
"I didn't think it would end this late," Izumi remarked, resting his arms on Satori's back as he checked to see if his phone was really charging- it was a hit or a miss with the cord he was using. But his phone was charging, thankfully. He leaned over him and set it on the table.  
  
"Mm."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Mmm..."  
  
"You're going to suffocate to death."  
  
"...That's the plan." Satori turned to speak, his cheek pressing against the couch. His eyes were closed.  
  
Izumi looked him over quietly as he laid over his lap. His back arched, and his red sweatshirt hitched up against the couch. The zipper was a cold stripe against his leg through his jeans. He watched Satori's shoulders rise and fall as he relaxed. His weight was pleasantly spread over his lap. Izumi pinched the sides of his undershirt and pulled it down to his waist again, his hand laying on the back of Satori's legs. As he leaned closer to review his face, he asked, "You didn't take your makeup off, did you?"  
  
Satori mumbled, "I'm just gonna leave it on. It's fine."  
  
"You could've taken it off while you were still at the studio," Izumi said. He glanced over at Satori's bag, which still lay by the door. "D'you have makeup remover with you?"  
  
"In my bag," Satori said. "I'm too tired. Seriously, I'll just leave it..."

Sighing- "Is it in your bag?"  
  
Following that, a small gap. "Yeah."  
  
Izumi raised his hands and stared down at him as though he had been ready to get up and had forgotten that Satori was in his lap. "Could you move?"  
  
Satori groaned, pulling himself up like a cat and making a soft whining noise from the back of his throat. There were dark gray smudges under his eyes, and a misaligned, pink streak by his mouth. He swayed, his eyes rising to the ceiling as he laid down on his back. Izumi got up from the couch, stretching casually as he walked over to his discarded bag. Unzipping it and rifling through some haphazardly piled items, he pulled out a USB adapter for Satori's phone, several empty water bottles, some untouched granola bars- the usual. There were loose, folded notebook pages crumpled at the bottom. They were covered more in doodles than words or numbers, and right away, Izumi could tell that they were a halfhearted attempt at notes from class. His school uniform was folded and tucked into one side of the bag. At the bottom, wedged into the corner, was a square package of what he assumed were makeup remover wipes.  
  
"Is this it?" He asked, holding the package up for approval.  
  
"Does it, uh... say 'Makeup remover wipes' on it?"  
  
Izumi glanced down at the package to make sure that it did before returning to the couch and sitting on the edge by Satori's side. "You know, you get sarcastic when you're tired."  
  
"Aw, sorry." Satori's eyes were open now, and he stared at him with a lazy, tired smile on his face.  
  
"Like that," Izumi said, his hand occupied with peeling the top off of the package and pulling one of the wipes loose. He leaned down and kissed him before he could protest.  
  
"Don't... It'll smudge." Satori reached up, clumsily brushing his thumb over the corner of Izumi's mouth. His hand fell to his side unceremoniously. "Or, I don't know. Pink kinda looks good on you."  
  
Izumi looked as though he wanted to kiss him again, but Satori closed his eyes and the urge passed when he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. "Keep your eyes closed for a little bit. Don't drift off, though."  
  
"I won't. Thank you."  
  
"So, how was tonight?" Izumi guided Satori's face to the side and frowned as he tentatively dabbed at the corner of his eye. "Tell me if I'm doing it too hard."  
  
"You gotta do it hard or it doesn't come off. It's waterproof," Satori said. After a pause, he said, "It was brutal. I mean, it always is. But it's- I guess, people can be so... Um, persistent. I dunno. It was rough."  
  
"I'm sure you did fine," Izumi said.  
  
"Arashiyama did most of the talking. But it was- they weren't asking questions, you know? It's not... stuff they don't know or stuff that wasn't already made public. It was just stuff like, 'Can Border do this now that this has changed', or... 'When is Border going to do this', or... whatever. Obvious stuff. Netsuki seemed angry about it afterward... Y'know how it usually is."  
  
"Yeah."

And he did. The press was out for blood. The fact that none of the PR squad was able to counter with questions of their own made the process even more stressful to watch. At least, to him. His mother and father occasionally watched the news together, and when snippets of the interviews were broadcast, he knew his father would just square his shoulders and look balefully at the screen while his mother smiled and offered her own scathing commentary. He tried not to pay too much attention to them, but they were everywhere. For days after, the halls were buzzing with the latest discourse. It was inescapable.  
  
"Harder than that," Satori yawned. Then, continuing, "Kitora was good about it, though, she always is, and Tokki's smart, so they were all good. And... I dunno, Arashiyama sorta... said..."  
  
"Say something if it's too hard," Izumi said.  
  
"I will, don't worry."  
  
"What did Arashiyama say?"  
  
"Um..." Satori made a lazy, purposeless hand gesture in the air before letting his hand collapse back onto his chest. "Something about it being the, um... Or, that, uh... 'Border is doing everything it can', and then- 'We will keep doing everything we can do, ourselves, to keep Mikado City safe, but it comes down to'... You know, the same stuff as usual."  
  
"That's it?" Izumi asked, peering at the streaks of black marking the wipe in his hand. He balled it up in his other hand and tugged another wipe out of the package, gingerly brushing it over Satori's eyes again to check that he had gotten it off completely. He folded the wipe in half and started with Satori's lips, smudging the pink coloring and wiping it off as well. His lips were soft under his fingers. "Feels like it ends the same way every time."  
  
"You'd want a confident response from him, too, if you were a civilian."  
  
"My sister says they should broadcast more patrol shoots."  
  
"That's right, she's home from university..." Satori hummed. "Does she actually like seeing the televised patrols?"  
  
"She just said you guys should back up the defense statements you make," Izumi sighed. "Not that she thinks your team is for show or anything. She just thinks it'd keep other people from thinking that."  
  
A common concern in the Izumi household.  
  
Satori's eyes remained closed. He looked serene. "C'mon, Mikado won't start doubting Arashiyama anytime soon. He doesn't have to show off that much to make people believe in him. You've seen him. The man. The myth-"  
  
"The meme."  
  
"The legend."

There was a bit of a silence between them and Satori was left with a lingering smile- too tired to really laugh like he always did. Like he always wanted to. "You've seen him."  
  
"But people do doubt you," Izumi reminded him, his fingers brushing through Satori's hair and pushing his bangs back. "All the reporters at those events- something happens, a gate opens, and you have to save them. _They_ rely on you."  
  
"Well, yeah, but what're we gonna do about that?," Satori said, one hand raising blindly, yet smoothly to Izumi's wrist, and then sliding down his forearm and resting on his stomach again. "You want us to threaten _not_ to save 'em if it comes down it? It's our job to be honest and answer to their concerns and fears, and all that. Just let em' be scared."  
  
Under his breath, Izumi said, "Those reporters aren't scared enough."  
  
"You get mad so quickly. I mean, it's cute, really," Satori said, pinching his cheek as he opened his eyes to glance at him. "I guess this is why they don't just have your squad do PR stuff."  
  
"I'd do it if it meant you wouldn't have to," Izumi offered seriously, swatting his hand away.

"I'd hate it the same way you hate it," Satori said. He laughed lightly at the look Izumi had on his face- somewhere between unimpressed and still irritated. His expression softened from a smile to a soft line. Almost not a smile at all, but he looked happy. "It's my job, though. Don't worry about it."

There had been a lot of almost-numb, frustrated-tears nights between them where the phone calls were long and the satisfaction was short. The topic was starting to get worn to pieces. He knew he wasn't lying when he said he was alright, but he couldn't tell if it just because he couldn't lie in the first place. Izumi wasn't sure anyone on the PR squad could. He knew Arashiyama wasn't good at it- that wasn't up for debate anymore, it was a fact- and Kitora flustered the second she came under any slight scrutiny. Maybe Ayatsuji or Tokieda could, but why would they? Honesty was the bond that kept them together and held them in such high regard by the community. So it wasn't that he was worried about not knowing- he could read Satori like a book, and so could everyone in the world. Izumi's concern boiled down to whether he _would_ lie about it if he _could._ _  
_  
Maybe.  
  
"You think you'd rely on Arashiyama if you were a civilian?" He prompted after a while.  
  
Satori shrugged. "You'd protect me if it came down to it. I couldn’t get hurt if I tried."  
  
Izumi retrieved another wipe and rubbed at his cheek. He shrugged it off. "Yeah."  
  
Satori could appreciate the look on his face from the angle that he was at. He could feel how desperate he was to just give in to his exhaustion. The warmth from Izumi's hand bled through the thin wipe. His mind lapsed in and out of awareness, and he felt himself fading out every now and then. He opened his eyes against every instinct and stared up at him. He was frowning, one hand poised with the makeup remover wipe as he worked on his face.  
  
It was a nice view, Satori thought, somewhere above the haze. He felt his eyelids pulling closed, but he managed to maintain eye contact, as unfocused as it was.  
  
"You waited for me," He said suddenly, if only to keep himself awake.  
  
"As always, "Izumi responded begrudgingly.  
  
"It's late."  
  
"You could've texted me."  
  
"I would've just said to stay home."  
  
"I would've come anyway."  
  
Satori felt his heart, acutely felt the rhythm in his chest. Steady. Relaxed. "I don't want to keep you up this late."  
  
"No big deal," Izumi said. He wadded up the makeup wipe and started with another, working on the other side of his face.  
  
Satori swallowed thickly. "I love you."  
  
"Hang on."  
  
"Senpai."  
  
"Just a second."  
  
_"Senpai..."_  
  
"Just a second, wait." Then, a breath- "Satori."  
  
Satori looked at him longingly, his hand reaching up and brushing against his wrist. Izumi nudged his hand aside and scrubbed the wipe against his cheeks, dabbing at some nonspecific areas and fussing with the final result, guiding Satori's chin with his fingers so he could look him over. His skin was already practically glowing. Izumi tried to look as though he was worried about his makeup, as though he wasn't staring at him _just_ to stare at him.  
  
Satori swatted at his hand, immediately starting up about it. "Stop, it's fine, just _kiss-"_ _  
_  
And then he kissed him- finally- but it was mid-sentence, and the timing was off. Satori pulled away, sucking in air as he stared at him heatedly, as though he wanted to complain about that, too.  

  
"Mm," Izumi said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He looked at him, saw the flushed color of his cheeks, the desperate way he looked at him, and he put his hand out as though he was defending himself. He could probably have pushed him a little further over the edge if he was really willing to. "I can kinda taste the makeup remover. Wait a little."  
  
"I've been waiting all day," Satori said, frowning slightly as he touched his lips with his fingers. He propped himself up on his elbows and stared at him intently. "I missed you."  
  
Izumi felt a sudden swell of affection for him. "Me too."  
  
Leaning heavily on one arm, he kissed him again. It was quick, if only because Izumi couldn't tolerate the position. But as he pulled back, Satori sat up to meet him again, and there was only a second of a break before they were kissing again. It was as if he had used all his energy just to get up. He tilted his head slightly and felt Satori give against him, as exhausted as he was. His eyes opened. Satori looked as though he were already asleep. His mouth went slack. His head tilted back. In an instant, he looked like he was starting to slip under.  
  
Izumi paused, one hand rising to Satori's shoulder. "If you want to get some rest-"  
  
"I don't," Satori said, but his voice was quiet and they were too close for him to insist loudly like he normally would. He shivered, looking at him with his eyes half-lidded. It was probably only because he was off-balance that he leaned forward and pecked him on the lips again. "I just wanna kiss you right now."  
  
But Izumi could tell he didn't have the energy for it. He brushed his thumb over Satori's cheek for a moment and then let his hand drop into his lap, staring flatly at him. There was a spark there- just not a fire, like usual. When he slumped for the second time, Izumi jerked, ready to resist him again, but Satori simply moved to the side, rested his forehead against his shoulder and yawned. "I just missed you. You don't wanna?"  
  
"I don't want to keep you up," Izumi said dimly.  
  
"I kept _you_ up," Satori said.  
  
"I was already up."  
  
"You were _up,_ but you were at _home._ I mean, I didn't want to make you come here for me."  
  
"Nothing's going on at home anyway," Izumi said. "Seriously, it's fine."  
  
"Your sister's home," Satori said. "You could spend time with your family. You've been hanging around headquarters constantly, and..." He trailed off with another yawn. "Y'know?"  
  
"Yeah, well, why didn't you go straight home?" Izumi asked, feeling uncomfortably called-out.  
  
"Rather spend time with you," Satori said, finding Izumi's hands as they fell from his shoulders and cradled them in his lap. He played with them, pulling them apart, fitting his own between them. He sized them against his own, and then finally, he fell still. Izumi wanted to hold his hand properly. It was probably the right timing for it. Instead, he stared blankly at the wall across from him and glanced at his phone, as dead as it was, on the table.  
  
"Then you can't really complain about me wanting to spend time with you either," he said belatedly.  
  
His lips were starting to get chapped.  
  
The didn't move for a while. Izumi felt as though he could stay that way for the rest of the night, even though in his mind, he could feel the echoes of himself just reaching out to him and taking his hand. With every second that he figured it might not be too late, he felt himself become increasingly resigned to just sit there with him. They'd done this a couple times already. Izumi would wait in his operation room or meet him in the Training Hall when he was due to close up, and they'd walk around a bit before returning. They'd mess around, watch a movie or play a game, and then fall asleep right there on the couch when neither of them could keep their eyes open. It was starting to become a habit. He was alright with that.  
  
Satori straightened up slowly, looking up and inspecting his face for a while before turning slightly and resting against him on his side as Izumi leaned back against the arm of the couch. It was automatic- a common part of the routine. They'd already memorized the shape of each others' bodies. At this point, it was so well-practiced that getting comfortable was more of a groove than a part of the process. They just fell into the same familiar shapes together.  
  
"If I lay down, I'll fall asleep," Satori warned him.  
  
"Sit up, then," Izumi said, nudging him. Satori reluctantly turned again, collecting himself as he sat up. He slowly fished his phone out from his pocket and tapped the power button. It was closer to midnight than Izumi had thought it was. He hugged him loosely and rested his face against his back, pushing him to sit up a little further.  
  
"I might still drift off a little," said Satori as he snuggled back against him. "The broadcasting center was _freezing_ . And I'm still sore from the last time we had to move all that equipment from the storage room. And you're, y'know. Comfy."  
  
"Oh, right, your shoulders," Izumi mused. He reached up at the same time as Satori, and he let him guide his hands into place. "Here?"  
  
"Yeah, but it's whatever," He said. Then, a little anxiously, "That actually feels nice. Just when you touch there."  
  
His hands pressed flat against his shoulder blades through his thin sweatshirt and Satori shifted. He felt his thumbs press tenderly into his back and his mouth fell open. He started forward a little bit in response.  
  
_"Oh,"_ He said.  
  
"That's not too bad, right?"  
  
"Quit asking that, it's-" Satori jerked forward and he trailed off as Izumi started again, gently and deliberately working his muscles apart. "Mm."  
  
"What're you doing this weekend?" Izumi asked after clearing his throat, worried that he couldn’t just touch him silently without blushing. "Arashiyama squad, I mean."  
  
He was quiet for a long time, shifting against him and relaxing. "Ummm... Mmm, we... We're doing...  a sort of... variety- Variety show."  
  
"For an interview?" Izumi prompted. He shifted his hands down lower, and Satori sighed, his back arching so that his head could lay against his collarbone. The reaction was nice.  
  
"Nnnnno," Satori said, staring hazily at the ceiling. "Like, a... kind of... special? Kinda..."  
  
"A TV special?"  
  
There was a sharp hesitation as Satori swallowed and fell silent again- He leaned forward and Izumi's hands shot to his waist to steady him, as though he was going to fall right off the couch. He turned, grinning sort of ruefully at him. "Yeah, something like that. At least stop when you want me to answer, okay? I can't focus."  
  
"Do you want me to keep going, or what?" Izumi asked, his hands already out in front of him.  
  
"Please," Satori said. One leg braced him against the floor and the other was tucked in on the couch in front of him. He played with the hem of his jeans as Izumi ran his hands up from his sides to the slopes of his shoulders. One hand raised to brush through his hair. He felt Izumi size him up again with his hand, and he was pressed forward a bit as he started again. His hands were warm.  
  
"So, a TV special," Izumi prompted. "For what show?"  
  
"Don't-" Satori paused, the absolute rapture of Izumi's massage breaking to deliver unto him a moment of divine clarity. "Don't laugh."  
  
Izumi looked apprehensive. "Which show is it?"  
  
"Okay, it's- Don't freak out, because Toma and Taichi both found out about it and they will _not_ stop making fun of me for it, but just don't freak out- it's Deroro."  
  
"What, really?"  
  
Izumi's hands fell to Satori's hips and Satori whined again, reaching for his wrists and urging him silently to continue. But Izumi seemed to be lost for a second as he considered what Satori had said.  
  
_"The_ Deroro?"  
  
"Yes, yes-"  
  
"With the-"  
  
"Yes, I know, I _know_ what they do on that show, I know-"  
  
"As a contestant, right? On Deroro?"  
  
"Yes, _the_ dating show Deroro. _Yeah._ That one."  
  
He had only just heard of the show until Kunichika played a particular scene of it on the operation room monitor for them. It was a game show. One contestant, who was usually a popular actress or a pop star, was dressed up in some costume to make them unrecognizable, and the other contestant, either another famous person or an average citizen who claimed to know everything about their favorite idol, went on a "date" with them, asking them questions to ascertain who they were. The costumes were prolific. At the time, a famous actor had dressed in a full-body cast and was wheeled out onto the streets in a gurney. Izumi could see Arashiyama squad being invited, but he couldn't imagine Netsuki allowing it. He stared blankly at the back of Satori's neck, catching the faint tinge of red that graced his skin as he faced, determinedly, forward. He could tell he was starting to get flustered.

He seemed to remember what he was supposed to be doing, and his hands rose again to his shoulders. "What costume are they gonna have you do? Do you know?"  
  
Satori muttered, one hand rising to cover his eyes exasperatedly. "I have a picture on my phone. If you laugh-"  
  
"I get it," said Izumi, starting to get a little excited about it. "Just pull it up."  
  
Satori obediently unlocked his phone and navigated to his photo gallery. He tucked the phone into his chest and sort of glanced over his shoulder without making eye contact. "Promise?"  
  
Desperately, he said, "Yes. I promise."  
  
Satori reluctantly pulled his phone away, and Izumi held the sides in his hand, squinting at the screen. It was a crisp, high-definition picture of an outfit on a mannequin. The first thing that caught his eye was the wig- it was brown, almost the same chestnut color of Satori's hair, and it was pulled into short pigtails, a few strands framing the blank, white face of the model. They were bound with red ribbons. A tightly bound corset was set around a pink blouse and a puffy, white skirt beneath it. There was an almost abhorrent amount of glitter, gemstone decals and bows on every part of the outfit- to say nothing of the cutesy, pink accessories assembled neatly to the side of it.

And every single part of it made Izumi burst out into peals of laughter before Satori could even open his mouth to say, "You promised".  
  
"I _just_ said don't freak out!" He exclaimed.  
  
"You're kidding me-"  
  
"Senpai," Satori groaned, barely audible now over Izumi laughing. He felt his forehead against his back, and Izumi's hand moved to cover his mouth. "Quit iiiit."  
  
"Oh my god," Izumi choked out. "On live TV. You're gonna be a contestant. _Look_ at that."  
  
"Yeah. Yes. Yes, laugh about how I'm going to have to wear a skirt on TV, Senpai. This isn't the time to comfort me or anything."

But Satori couldn't help grinning as he heard Izumi continue to laugh, at the feeling of him shaking against him. He elbowed behind him blindly, and he felt it connect- with his ribs, hopefully. But it didn't stop him. Nothing would, until finally, he started to simmer down on his own, after the thought of Satori in a skirt had passed. It hadn't really, before he piped up.  
_  
_ _"Damn,"_ He whispered, smiling and resting his chin over Satori's shoulder. "When's this gonna be? Soon?"  
  
"You done?" Satori asked after a slight pause. He was smiling, too. Izumi could tell.  
  
"I'm done," Izumi tried to say, but his voice gave at the last part, and he snickered again without meaning to. "Oh, no. No, seriously, seriously, I'm done."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You're done."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"I promise... When's it gonna be?"  
  
"I feel like I should hold you on the promise you just broke. But it's next Thursday," Satori finally admitted. "You know I don’t really do the whole stage-fright thing, but there’s, you know, a clear line between showing up for an interview and showing up to an interview wearing _that."_ _  
_  
Izumi rubbed Satori's shoulders thoughtfully. "You're really gonna do it, though?"  
  
"I guess," Satori reflected, reclining back against his hands. "It was already basically approved, so I kinda have to.”

“What a shame,” said Izumi, who was trying to restrain himself from laughing again.

“It’s probably nothing big,” Satori amended after a while. “I'll send pictures, I guess."  
  
"Mmmh," Izumi mumbled against his neck. _"In_ the skirt, right?"  
  
"... I mean, I wasn't planning on wearing the skirt in the pictures."  
  
"Yeah, but can you?"  
  
"What for?" Satori turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed.  
  
He searched his mind for a reasonable excuse as to why he would desperately need this particular picture. Surely, there must have been _something._ The truth came to mind suddenly, and he figured that if he couldn't come up with something in the next nanosecond, he'd go with it- "I just think you'd look cute". But then he remembered his upcoming mission to Bermuda.  
  
"So I have something to look at while I'm in America," Izumi said smoothly.  
  
"Oh, come on. You'll have tons of cute, foreign girls to look at," Satori said, gazing at his phone resignedly. "For a whole week."  
  
"Quit being bitter," Izumi said, pinching his arm. Satori groaned. "This is a mission, y'know, not a vacation."  
  
Satori turned, leaning against his chest as he considered that. "Doesn't mean you're not gonna be surrounded by cute girls."  
  
"Have some faith in me."  
  
"It's not that I don't trust you,” He clarified. “I’d trust you with my life. I’d hand you the gun in a survival situation, y’know-”

“You’d probably be best with the gun, honestly."

“Yeah, actually. I don’t trust you with a gun. Ignore the analogy. What I’m saying is, I trust you. I mean, you can come up with strategies to fight on even ground with soldiers from another dimension in less than a minute. But you have no idea when someone's flirting with you. You can’t even tell when _I’m_ flirting with you.”  
  
"That depends on what you call flirting," Izumi said wisely.  
  
"Y'know," Satori said. "Yoneya did actually tell me that you had to ask him if I had a crush on you or something. And that was after I kissed you. Twice."  
  
"That's not a good example," Izumi said, drawing his hands up the base of Satori's neck and playing with the feathery locks of his hair. "I'm usually very perceptive."  
  
"Not with anything that isn't about combat."  
  
"Hey-"  
  
"I'm not wrong, am I?"  
  
Izumi rested against him. He didn't need to say anything before Satori followed it up, softer this time, and a little more intimately as he peered up at him from his chest.  
  
"I'm not worried about you in Bermuda. I think all the girls are just going to be frustrated trying to flirt with you."

Izumi looked exasperated. “We’re just gonna be doing work and then leaving.”

“Yeah, well,” Satori said quietly. “At least take pictures. And work quickly.”

“Actually, I plan on taking three years to get this job done, now that you’ve said that.”

“Man. You get sarcastic when you’re-” He yawned. “Tired.”

A gentle silence covered them as they lay there together. Somehow in the middle of the conversation, Izumi found the time to take his hand again. Satori had laced their fingers together as they spoke. He was slowly starting to warm up again, and his body thrummed nicely as he snuggled against Izumi's front. A part of him wanted to keep talking until he couldn't talk anymore, and then give in to sleep. But resting in his arms, he suddenly felt a little more awake. At the very least, his eyes weren't closing on their own anymore.  
  
Izumi yawned. Satori tilted his head slightly. "You wanna go to sleep?" He asked patiently.  
  
"Maybe," He said, his head tilting back over the edge of the couch. "Probably."  
  
"It's late. Let's just do that."  
  
He felt Satori move, and his elbow unintentionally dug into his ribs as he got up. Izumi groaned, unable to muster up the words, _'the human ribs are ordinarily able to protect the heart against most human attacks, but you've somehow managed to break mine with just your elbow. I'm wounded, but also impressed'._ _  
_  
"Sorry, Senpai. I'm just getting the extra blanket."  
  
"It's fine."  
  
"You sure? 'Cos I totally elbowed you just now-"  
  
"I'll live."  
  
He watched Satori walk around the table, and as he went to get something out of his bag, Izumi reached for his phone. He checked the time- about the right time to be asleep, he estimated. His battery was still low, but it was just enough for him to text Kunichika in the squad group chat to reassure her that no, he hadn't been the one to beat her high score for "California Gurls" on Just Dance.

There would be a witch hunt about it tomorrow.  
  
The truth about that was that Tachikawa and Izumi had spent the better part of an hour last week exploiting every motion capture error they could trying to beat her score and had finally resorted to playing it through in earnest for another thirty minutes before beating it. He was never planning on fessing up to it. If anything, it was a team effort, and the blame couldn't be put entirely on his shoulders. Tachikawa wouldn't give up the truth if it killed him, either. Together, they were banking on Yuiga keeping his mouth shut about hearing "California Gurls" in the media room for an hour and a half straight, and Kunichika being denied access to the surveillance footage for their operation room. Neither was likely.  
  
"Who's that?" Satori asked as he put the folded blanket on one side of the couch and reached for his own phone.

“A girl from Bermuda.”

A threatening silence followed.  
  
"Kidding, it’s Kunichika," He responded. "About the high score."  
  
"Oh, right. 'California Gurls'," Satori said. "You know she's gonna find out either way."  
  
"She won't find out if we kill Yuiga," Said Izumi intently.  
  
"You could probably get away with murdering Yuiga," Satori acknowledged. "Maybe. But what about HR?"  
  
"Take a sledgehammer to the computers," Izumi suggested.  
  
"That costs a lot of money to replace," Satori countered.  
  
"This may sound crazy, but I would rather spend my entire life paying money to Border to make up for property damage than have Kunichika find out that I helped break her high score in Just Dance."  
  
"I kinda get that."  
  
"This goes without saying, but if you tell Kunichika, you're on the block, too."  
  
"I wouldn’t be dating you if I weren’t complicit in all your crimes. I'm gonna turn the light out now."  
  
"Sure."  
  
There was a bit of a gap as Satori went to turn the lights off. The overhead light dimmed and finally went out. He returned, the light of his phone casting his face in a dim, blue light. Without looking, Izumi felt Satori's weight as he draped himself over him and then the insulated warmth of the blanket as Satori adjusted it over the both of them.  
  
"Are you busy tomorrow?" He heard Satori ask lightly.  
  
"I just have a midday patrol," Izumi said. "After class, I'm free. What about you?"  
  
"Interview," Satori said. "And an orientation. Both of those are after class, though."  
  
"How long'll that take?"  
  
"The interview isn't gonna take long. It's just for the local paper to recap our defense statement. And orientations are quick, too."  
  
"Guess I'll text you, then."  
  
"Yeah, I'll keep in touch," Satori said quietly. He nuzzled his face against the crook of Izumi's neck. "Don't worry about it. Say something romantic."  
  
"Goodnight. Uh. And I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Senpai! That was kinda cute."  
  
"Quit it. Go to sleep."  
  
It was times like that that he wanted to keep talking. But it was late, and there was tomorrow. There was probably another excuse waiting in the wings, too. So he didn't.


	2. coexist is a slant rhyme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its less lovey-dovey and more context-oriented but i just need to post this before i sleep so i can't possibly regret it in time to ruin my sweet dreams

* * *

 

There were things you could do in a trion body, things you couldn't, and things that were strictly ill-advised.

Part of these stipulations were just the terms for using a trigger. It was against the rules to attack a civilian with the strength of a trion body. Even if you wanted to level the playing field so you could, it was also against the rules to give a civilian a trigger outside of Border's approval. That usually wasn't a problem. Izumi picked his fights within Border. There was no point in going outside the provisional right he'd been given to choose his battles. As for everything else, well, there were just things he couldn't do.

"I mean, he practices with both, but the scores- they could just be manipulated. They would have to be. They can't publish Satori's scores if they're actually lower than everyone else," Izumi heard as he was striding through the lobby.

He was on his way to meet with Yoneya to practice a bit, but he had a bit of a grace period in that neither of them had been specific about the time. He slowed down. It was partly because he figured that he had time on his hands that he perked up to hear what was next. Otherwise, he might have kept walking. Smart-mouthed trainees were a dime a dozen, and he at least had enough self-control to reign in his emotions when the trainees were running off at the mouth-

"There's such a gap between him and Narasaka, too- I mean, Arashiyama can't drop him now, but it's their loss. At least have a decent sniper on your squad so you can explain your ranking-"

But as much self-control as he had, he wasn't a priest.

"Are you guys B-rank?" He asked, squinting at them. They jumped to attention.  
  
"Yes?" One of them answered tentatively. He could see the connection as it was being made. As they glanced from his face to the emblem on his uniform, he could practically sense a resounding sense of humbleness passing over them.

"Oh, okay. So you know, Satori's defeated me before- a couple of times. Arashiyama wouldn't have chosen him if he was useless," Izumi said sternly. Then he paused and squinted at the combat training room down the hall. He looked like he was debating whether he should launch into an extensive speech or not, but he was really just peering over to see if Yoneya was already waiting by the training rooms. The trainees looked tossed between walking away meekly and standing to hear him through to the end.

He didn't want to be late, so in afterthought, he added, "You can talk shit about Arashiyama squad when you think you can beat me. You're already wasting time by standing around, talking. Go practice or something."

Then he continued on past them to the training hall. He could tell they weren't following anymore. They'd stopped, silently watching him walk away, and probably glancing at each other stiffly in his wake. As one does.

"Hey," said Yoneya suddenly as he clapped him on the shoulder. He had sidled up to him from behind, following after him. "Dude, the fact that you can get mad this early in the morning is impressive."

"I was just looking for you," Izumi said, looking indignantly at him. "And I'm not mad."

"Oh, okay. 'Cos you sound mad. What with you scolding the trainees and all."

"Nah, I don't have the energy to get mad."

"Just a low-energy lecture today, huh."

"It wasn't a lecture," Izumi defended. "What about that was a lecture? Lectures are at _least_ ten minutes- by definition. That was kind-hearted advice."

"Right," Yoneya said, glancing back at them. They seemed to have collected themselves, but they were now heading in the opposite direction. "Quit scaring the trainees. The drop-out rate is high enough without you walking around and yelling at 'em for gossiping."

"... I guess we _are_ pretty low on human shields, recently."

"Aw, not all the trainees are bad. There are a couple pretty strong ones."

"Okay, list them. So far, I've heard about the the sniper girl with the cat... And that's it."

"The sniper girl with the cat..." Yoneya made a sound as if he had another name on the tip of his tongue. "Uh, the new guy from Tamakoma-2. The- the guy."

"Oh, I know who you're talking about... Uh..."

"Yeah, the one who... Yeah- Um."

"But that's it," Izumi said after a while of them both not remembering his name.

"Yeah, but are there qualifications for becoming a human shield? According to you, Yuiga's a shield, but he's beaten Osamu. If a human shield kills another agent, does mean the agent becomes a human shield, or does the human shield get promoted to, like, an agent, or what?"

"Osamu's fine, he's an agent," Izumi said. "I mean, how well they can fight right now probably doesn't weigh in as much as... their... temperament, I guess. I guess it's more about qualities?"

"Yeah, but which qualities? We need parameters."

"Not respecting authority is probably a reasonable human shield quality."

Yoneya clarified, "Not respecting your boyfriend."

"My boyfriend _is_ the authority," Said Izumi.

"Fair."

They usually stuck to the upper-level training rooms, towards the back. It made it easier for people who were popping in for a quick match or two to use the rooms closer to the stairs. Tokieda seemed to be in charge this time- certainly because there was a tight schedule regarding interviews and sorting through paperwork lately, and any minute he could get outside of the operation room was time he spent gratefully. He nodded at them as they walked in. They both waved hello as they passed.

"I have the entire afternoon off, so we have to squeeze in enough matches to make up for you being gone," Yoneya said, once they had checked in. "At least 100."

"You think you can last that long?" Izumi asked. "I figure you're pretty resilient, but you'll give up after I beat you 68 times."

"Not if I'm losing with 67."

"I guarantee it'll be by more than just one point."

"Wouldn't that be funny? If you won, I mean."

"Oh, you don't think that's exactly what's going to happen?"

"No. But go ahead, prove me wrong, Mr. I-have-a-boyfriend-and-I'm-too-busy-dating-him-to-practice-24/7-like-I-once-did."

"Must suck being lonely."

"Must suck losing to me for what's about to be the third time this month."

"We'll see about that."

As it turned out, neither of them were able to break 30 points before Tokieda came to interrupt them, lightly tapping the frame of the door with his clipboard as Izumi came to, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting in the booth. It had ended with his loss, but he was still winning, and he had automatically reached to start another match. The sight of the other agent stopped him.

"Both of you are supposed to be on patrol," Tokieda said simply. Izumi perked up from where he was sprawled out on the mat and glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It was 1:57 PM.

"Seriously?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. He glanced at Tokieda. "You're sure it's Yoneya and me for patrol today?"

"'Yoneya and Izumi are to attend the third patrol at precisely 2 o'clock'," Tokieda recited as he peered at the clipboard.

"They asked you to let me know?"

"Shinoda had a feeling you would both lose track of time if you started battling each other, so he asked me to remind you both."

"Oh," said Izumi.

Yoneya joined Tokieda in the doorway, his arms crossed. "So, are you giving up, or what?"

"For the record, I had two points on you."

"So you're quitting with the advantage? I was gonna turn it around! You're stopping because you're scared I'm gonna win again!"

"You couldn't have turned it around even if you wanted to!"

"I definitely could have, I won that last one, I was on a streak. Quitting with the advantage, though... That's low."

Tokieda said calmly, "Actually, I was just coming up to remind you two that you're on for third today. It was lucky that I caught you before you started another round. You're going to be late if you don't hurry."

"Ha," Izumi said smugly.

Yoneya looked surprised. "You're sure Izumi and I are on for patrol today?"

Tokieda nodded, showing him the note attached to the top of his clipboard. Izumi swung his legs over to the edge of the mat and stood, stretching and lazily striding to the door.

"Yeah, for 2 o'clock," Izumi said. "Let's go. Thanks for the reminder, Tokki."

"Yeah, Thanks," Yoneya chimed, waving as they headed towards the main hall.

"Good luck," Tokieda said mildly, smiling at them and then returning his attention to his clipboard.

Then they walked off, weaving through small clusters of trainees who were either intently discussing things or meandering around looking lost. Occasionally Tokieda walked over and provided some direction, still cool and collected.

Discreetly, Yoneya said to Izumi, "He smiled."

"Did he really? I missed it," Izumi said, glancing back at him. Tokieda had already turned to oversee another battle.

"Yeah, he did." Yoneya stuck his hands into the pockets of his vest. "You always miss it."

"Yeah, but it's not like Miwa," Izumi said. "I've seen Tokki smile on TV, I know he smiles. I can picture it. I can't picture Miwa smiling at all."

"He smiles," Yoneya reassured.

"You’ve seen him smile?"

"Yeah, I have."

"Out of joy? Really?"

"He used to, when we were in middle school." He yawned, one hand rising to his mouth, and then ducking back into his pocket. "He probably smiled a lot more when he was a kid. Before the invasion."

"I can't picture that either, I'll be honest with you."

"He'll start smiling again," Yoneya said. "One day. Probably."

"Just wanna make sure the timing's right before you ask, huh?"

"As a matter of fact, Izumi?" He smiled coyly.

"Hey, that's fine. Just, y'know. When's the right timing? His poker face is incredible."

"That's pretty rich coming from the guy who had to ask all his friends if someone had a crush on him after he'd already kissed them twice."

"Ah. Old wounds, reopened," said Izumi, rolling his eyes. Then, he withdrew his phone from the pocket of his hoodie and checked the time. "Do you remember signing up for patrol, by the way?"

"Nah, but I probably did," Yoneya said. "If I signed up for it like a week ago, there's no way I would remember it now."

"Last week, wasn't it already locked?" Izumi asked. "I mean, wasn't the schedule already set so we couldn't join a patrol?"

After a while, Yoneya glanced at him. "Wasn't that the week before?"

"It was last week," Izumi said. "We were going to sign up for patrol over the week so we didn't have to do one on the weekend. Because that weekend we met up with Kodera and Narasaka, remember?"

"Oh, right."

"Yeah. Last week it was closed, and this week..."

As they exited the bustling main hall and began down the hallway towards their separate operation rooms, Yoneya suggested, "You think they got the dates wrong and just pushed them back?"

"Maybe," Izumi said. He didn't look conspiratorial in the slightest, or resentful, so it almost caught Yoneya off-guard when he suddenly said, "Actually, I think they're worried about another invasion while we're still recovering from the last one."

There was a pause. Yoneya considered it. "You think so?"

"Dunno. Did it say who was going to be patrolling with us on the note Tokki showed you?"

"Futaba, Miwa, and someone else. It's all A-rank, I think. At least a majority. But didn't they say that another attack wasn't likely if they had already deployed most of their army?" Yoneya prompted. "And their force was massive."

"Yeah, maybe. Better safe than sorry." Two trainees idled past. Izumi looked thoughtful. "I just can't picture him smiling."

"Who, Miwa?"

"Yeah."

"You think he'd smile if we just asked him?" Yoneya asked.

"You're his teammate. I think he'd kill us on the spot, but that's just me."

"Yeah. But what if he smiled while he was killing us?"

"Let's see- He'd probably kill you first," Izumi mused. "So I would see it for longer than you. Why don't you just ask him out instead?"

"...Wait, why would I be the first one down?"

"Because he knows which of us is the easiest to kill."

"It was two points," Yoneya said. "I want a rematch as soon as we're done with this."

 

* * *

 

 

Following the decision to hold more orientations to accommodate a massive surge in C-rank trainees, the sniper hall had become a hub of activity. It had never been empty or even quiet before, but as he surveyed the group of trainees in front of him, Azuma could only remember that there were many more to come and wonder whether the sniper hall would be able to contain them all.

As though realizing this for the first time, Satori, who was idling beside him as the trainees continued to file into the hall, said, "It'll probably be pretty busy from now on." Then to clarify, he added, "With this many trainees."

"Maybe," Azuma said. "I don't know if I told you this already, but we do have another orientation later today."

"You're kidding," Satori said, frowning slightly. He didn't look concerned one way or the other, but his thumbs hooked on the straps of his uniform briefly as he shifted his weight onto his other foot and he seemed, at least, wistful.

"If you're busy, I'll do it," Azuma offered.

"It's fine," Satori responded, shrugging. "It's just, Arashiyama said we'd have to finish the applications we were assigned on our own, so I'll have to work on them afterward, and then, uh- leave. I don't want to rush the orientation, though."

"You don't usually rush them."

"I try not to."

"Are you meeting someone?" Azuma asked him idly.

"N-No," Satori said, looking sternly at the floor.

"Hm."

The younger sniper's hand darted up to fix his bangs, combing them back and glancing at the floor as they slid back into his eyes. He looked lost in thought.

"It won't take long," Azuma reassured him, grinning at his discomfort.

"I don't mind, it's not... It's, um, not a big deal," Said Satori. He cleared his throat as though to chase his thoughts off, smiling as he held his hands out and addressed the trainees. Some of them were still entering, but he started with the usual preamble. "Alright, let's get started, then."

Azuma pulled the pen loose from the tab on the side of his clipboard. Arafune looked almost stranded at his position by the back of the group, and as Satori started to work over the basic introductions, he circled around them and joined Azuma at the front. He pulled his hat up enough to swipe his hair back with his other hand, before tugging it back down and looking sideways at Azuma.

"There's another one later today, right?" He asked discreetly.

"One more," Azuma said. "Satori said he'll stay to help with that one, too."

"I don't think we can run through the first couple of training exercises with this group before the next orientation starts," Arafune said dubiously. When Azuma looked down at his clipboard, he said, "I don't want to just skip them and leave them walking around."

"If the exercises end up running after the beginning of the second orientation, we can move them to the end of the training hall," Azuma said, nodding towards the opposite end of the hall. "We can finish the exercises on that side, and then get the second orientation started on the other."

"Do you want me to watch the first group?" Arafune asked.

Azuma peered around the hall as though he were looking for someone. "Narasaka should be here for practice in a bit, or Toma... I think he's borrowing a bench in the broadcast room to sleep. I'll see if I can get either one of them to come help."

Arafune looked skeptical. "It's fine." He turned his attention to the trainees, then, his hands clasping behind his back. "There's more of them coming."

A fact.

"It's because of Osamu's speech at the press conference," Azuma said.

He squared his shoulders. "Probably."

(A fact.)

"In the first few weeks, they'll decide whether or not they want to continue being an agent." Azuma spared him a wry glance again before marking off a segment Satori had finished on his clipboard. "It can't hurt that they're all joining en masse."

Arafune pinched the front of his collar and pulled it upwards. "Yeah."

They watched Satori single out a few of the trainees to demonstrate the different weapon types and outline the strengths and drawbacks of each. There was some muttering through the examples, but as Satori turned to the rest of the group, they fell into an uneasy silence again.

"Most of the training exercises will be conducted by Azuma, and I'll try to run some as well, outside of the ones that are scheduled. Both of us are usually open if you need help with something, but if we're not available, there are plenty of B-rank and A-rank snipers in here every hour of the day. Everyone starts out as a trainee, and they get that- don't feel afraid to ask them for advice," Said Satori. He felt almost as though he should be standing on a small podium or something to address the crowd of trainees. There was so many of them. He glanced down at his own clipboard. "Questions, so far?"

There were two. Azuma singled one out. "Go ahead."

"You said we're going to be allowed to use our triggers if there's an emergency...?" The words rose shyly from the crowd. It voiced a silent concern of all of the trainees assembled. Everyone seemed to be listening for the response.

"C-rank trainees have been given permission to use their triggers in emergencies only. If a gate opens, and you're able to reach the scene before official agents, you should activate your trigger and get in touch with Headquarters immediately for advising. Your first priority is the safety of the civilians. I'm sure everyone here knows that. So you should know that in an emergency where civilians are in danger is a situation where you'll need to put yourself in the line of fire for them."

"But you are still new," Azuma said. "Headquarters is working on establishing a system for nearby patrols to contact C-rank trainees as well to personally advise them as they arrive. You won't be alone."

"Snipers are meant to hide and fire when they can. But don't forget that you'll have a rifle and that rifles are... y'know, weapons," Satori said, to some still-not-really-reassured chuckling. "It's easiest to defend civilians when you're between them and the threat. Over time, you'll become more confident in holding off enemies at a distance, but we'll teach you some close-combat techniques, too, just in case it comes down to that."

He looked up at Azuma, who nodded. "Exactly. From the minute you receive a trigger, you'll be responsible for holding it and choosing when and when not to use it, just the same as an official agent. You should be prepared for that."

There was a weighty silence after he finished, but there was a clear divide between the trainees who had already come to accept this and those that hadn't. There was practically a light over them as they looked at them, their faces upturned and unperturbed.

"We had another question?" Asked Satori lightly, mostly to the trainees who hadn't quite caught up mentally.

No one raised their hand.

Arafune shifted, slightly behind them. "Well, the best way to start feeling confident in your abilities is to start practicing, so..." He looked between the two of them in a silent plea.

"Right," Azuma said, swiftly moving along on that cue before the trainees could get any more worried. "We'll get you trainees equipped and start with some simple aiming drills."

There was very little ceremony before the training exercise had started. After the trainees had been equipped and set in separate booths, the targets had been put up and they had simply started. There was initial guidance, which Arafune and Azuma mostly took care of, but after a while, the raised hands came up less and less and the group slowly started to get the hang of things. It wouldn't be long before they were ready to move on to a different practice set, Azuma figured.

As they watched them, Satori suddenly asked Arafune and Azuma. "So, what do you think?"

Arafune shrugged. "About the trainees? I'd say less than a quarter stay."

Azuma tapped his clipboard thoughtfully.

"Jeez," Satori said.

"How many did you think?"

"Like an eighth."

"An eighth is less than a quarter."

"No, I know, I'm agreeing with you."

Arafune looked unsure.

"I _did_ know that," Satori insisted.

"Sure," He said. "I mean, I think a quarter is optimistic. A reasonable prediction is that we'll have four or five from each group. Probably no more. I mean, that rule that you guys covered was the mandate from Kido, almost word-for-word. I read it through. But we can't soften it up just to keep them with us."

"I think we can convince them during the exercises. There probably won't be a huge invasion anytime soon, so we should fix them now," Azuma spoke up. "We'll have to push them a little harder, but right now, we need to correct their expectations while it's still safe to do it."

"Sure, scare or prepare," Satori said simply. "I was thinking the same thing."

Arafune shot him a look. "You sure sound eager."

"I'm just thinking of what I would have needed to hear when I was a trainee if I were on the fence like this," Satori said, waving one hand aimlessly. "You probably remember it, too, from when you joined, but a lot of the trainees in my batch dropped out because they joined thinking that they would instantly become war heroes, or that they could do the job without putting themselves in danger. If they had just had their expectations changed gently, we'd have more agents now. These trainees are probably all thinking that they can single-handedly rescue the people they've lost because of the press conference. That's a good motivation for them, but it's not enough to keep them alive in battle."

"Didn't you say you joined because you wanted to be popular with the girls in your class?" Azuma said, which thoroughly shattered his stance on the matter.

"Did _not,"_ Satori said stoutly. "It's a side-effect of being as cool and combat-ready as I am."

The other two agents looked flatly at him, and he looked like he was ready to contest them again. Before he could speak, an agent turned and looked lost, and Satori pointed at him, frowning at both of them before Azuma, sighing and smiling, went to go help.

"I get what you're saying about letting them down now instead of letting them down in combat," Arafune said when Satori looked expectantly at him. "We'll be losing a lot of trainees, either way."

"This is the best way," Satori said, assuredly. His confidence was astounding, but Arafune knew it was grounded in the fact that Azuma had come up with the plan, and not himself. "You don't need to experience drowning to be a good lifeguard, y'know?"

"Sure," Arafune said again.


End file.
